Beginner guide
By the end of this page you will have browsed to a folder, found a file by typing part of its name, and made, renamed and moved a folder.
What you need
- Rover Explorer installed. See Install.
- A few files in your home folder to look at.
The window
Rover opens showing your home folder. From top to bottom, the window has:
| Part | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Menu bar | File, Edit, View, Go, Tools and Help. Every command is here. |
| Toolbar | Back, forward and up arrows, Search, Folders, Views, refresh and the hidden-files switch. The dog sits at the right end. |
| Address bar | The path of the folder you are in. Type a path and select Go to jump there. |
| Left pane | Common tasks at first. It changes to the Search Companion or the Folders tree when you ask for them. |
| File list | The files and folders in the current folder. |
| Status bar | How many objects are shown or selected, and the size of the search index. |
1. Open a folder and come back
In the file list, double-click a folder, for example Documents.
The list now shows what is inside it, and the Address bar shows its path.
Select Back on the toolbar to return to where you were.
Select the up arrow next to the forward arrow to go to the folder that contains the current one. Backspace does the same.
In the left pane, under Other Places, select Home to return to your home folder.
2. Open a file
Double-click a file. Rover hands it to the program your system normally uses for that kind of file: a picture opens in your image viewer, a text file in your text editor.
3. Find a file by name
Select Search on the toolbar, or press Ctrl + F.
The left pane becomes the Search Companion, with the dog at the top.
Under All or part of the file name:, start typing part of a file name.
Results appear in the file list as you type. You do not need to press Enter.
Double-click a result to open it. To see where it lives, right-click it and select Open Containing Folder.
Good to know
The first time Rover runs, it reads the names of the files under your home folder to build its search index. The status bar shows Indexing… while this happens, then Search index: with the number of items. You can search while it is still building; results fill in as the index grows.
4. Make a folder and rename it
Go to your home folder.
In the left pane, under File and Folder Tasks, select Make a new folder.
A folder called New Folder appears in the list.
Select New Folder with one click, then press F2.
In the Rename box, type
Practiceafter New name: and select OK.
5. Move something into it
Make a second folder the same way. Leave its name as New Folder.
Drag New Folder onto Practice and let go.
New Folder is now inside Practice.
Double-click Practice to check.
6. Tidy up
Select Practice, press Delete, and select Yes in the Confirm Delete box.
DANGER
Delete in Rover Explorer is permanent. Items do not go to a wastebasket or Recycle Bin, and deleting a folder deletes everything inside it. Read the confirmation message before you agree.
What you learned
- The parts of the window and what the left pane shows.
- How to move between folders with a double-click, Back, the up arrow and Other Places.
- How to find a file by name with the Search Companion.
- How to make, rename, move and delete a folder.